Ripping unit for metal cans



Sept. 25, 1928.

A. L. coMBEs ET AL RIPPING UNIT FOR METAL CANS Original Filed Nov'. 8, 1924 :nucninw Abba? Harz'a M.

Patented Sept. 25, 1928. r. V

.U ITE ST T v y .ABBOTT'L'. GOMBES-AND'HA-RRYM. KEYSER, or EAsfr' rnLLsonuRon, vinoinie'.

I nrrrino UNIT FOR /iETAL oA vs,

Refil ed for abandoned. application Serial No. 748,718, filed. November 8, 1924. This application filed June 8, 1926E Serial No. 114,575.

This invention relates to an improved ripping unit for metal cans of the character commonly employed incanning food-stuffs or thelike and seeks, among other objects, to

provide a novel meansjwhereby a ripping element for opening such cansmay .be feasiblyenclosed therein.

-As is well'known, theordinary metal can of the kind indicated is not provided with any self-contained means whereby thecan may be readily opened. Consequently, it is) alwaysnecessary, in order-tof-open such a can, to have ,at handsome kind of a can 7 opener. If the can opener becomes lost or misplaced, as very often happens,- quite a difiicultsituation is presented and: not infrequently the can remains unopened. The present invention, therefore, further seeks to obviate these diificulties by providing each can with a ripping element and wherein the ripping element will be equipped with a key which, toall intents and purposes, will be permanently attached to said element so that the key will be always ready-athand'ifor manual manipulation to open the can,'thereby avoiding the necessity for the useof a can openeras well as obviating possible failure in getting the can open. I The. invention seeks as a further object to provide a device wherein the ripping element will be somounted inthe can that less strength and skill will be required to open the canthan with an'ordinary can opener. The invention further seeks to' provide a device which may be produced and sold as an entirely distinctarticle of manufacture.

further iobject of; the invention-is to provide a device which will necessitate practically no structural change in the usual can. t 1

" And the invention seeks, as an further object, to provide a device which' will', be

simple, inexpensive, and efficient. 1 Other objects of the invention'not'specifically mentioned in the foregoing will appear, duringthe course of the following description.

The present application is a substitute for the applicants abandoned application filed November 8, 1924, Serial No. 7 48,718.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective 7 view showing the improved ripping unit installed in a conventional metal can, parts being broken away and illustrated in section.

I split.

Figure 2 is a detail perspective viewv of the 1,65,312 P TEN F E unit, partly broken awayand shown in secwhile practically alhhave been ultimately abal'idonedf This'has been due to many reasons, the outstanding of which are that, due to peculiarity of can structure, the rip ping wire could not be successfully introduced by vmachinery, while in other cases, the increased cost of manufacture has been prohibitive. The present' invention has,

therefore, been developed with a' view of overcoming and avoiding these. various dif- Referring now more particularly to Figures .15 and2 of the drawings, welemploy a carrier ring 1110, which maybe- 0f suitable sheet metal a'ndmay be endless, althoughin. the present instance, we have shownsaid ring element l1;preferably oflwireaand, as:will

Securedfupon the 'ringji's'a ripping be observed, the ring is rolled inwardly at its lower edge .to define a channel 12 seating the ripping-element. AL-fl'ange? 13 is thus pro duced, which flange"cxtendswpartially over the ripping jelementso that-while -a creeping i V longitudinally flexing movement of said element will serve to draw the element; up-- wardly through the mouth-of the channel, the: ripping element "is, nevertheless, firmly connected with the, carrier ring. At one end, theelement' 11 formed with a downturned anchoring hook 14;! engaging the flange 13fat one end of the carrier-Iring while at the opposite end 016 said ring, said element is bent up at a point close to the opposite end of said flange to provide'a free terminal.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, the unit is shown installed in a conventional metal can 16 having a lid 17 countersunk in the upper end of the can. The lid is provided with the usual rim flange 18 crimped about a flange 19 on the sidewall of the can to form for connecting the lid with the can.

can in a position out of the way.

fore the lid is applied,the ripping unit of,

the present invention is slipped around the base of the flange 18 so that the carrier ring 10lies flat thereagainst while the terminal 15 of the element 11 is .coincidently inserted lid 17, with the ripping unit thereon, is then pressed intothe upper end'of the can and the can crimped in the usual manner, as sho i vln,

e terminal 15 of the ripping element 11 is then bent inwardly away from the periphery of the lid, preferably in the manner illustrated in Figure 11, and equippedwith a key 20.

This key maybe struck from suitable sheet metal and =formed therefrom is a loop 21 through which the termina115is inserted and bent to form a hook 22 connecting the key with said terminal. Thus, the key is, to all intents and purposes, rmanently attached-to the free end Oftleripping element and lies flat against the top wall of the The joint between theterminal 1'5 and the top wall of the can is then finally sealed with solder for hermetically closingfthe can. 7

Attention is now directed to the fact that the crimping operation. incident to the application of the lid 17 produces anout-turn'ed annular lip or'flange 23 at the upper edge of the carrier ring 10 which lip is seated against the upper edge of the side wall ofthe can and is clamped by the flange 18 of the lid... Further, the carrien ringis tightly confined'between the base of said flange and the side wall of the can vwhile the lid bears against the top of the flange 13. The device is-thus firmly held in positionand limited against displacement in any direction; Ac-

' cordingly, the ripping'element 11 will always be supported immediately beneath the lid so thatby graspingthe key and turning said element thereon, the element will be drawn fromthe channel 12 of the carrier ring and caused-to rip the lid along the line of a-circle close to the side wallof the can. The can may accordingly be opened with facility;

In Figure 3-ofthe drawings, we have il lustrat'ed a slight modificationof the inven tion wherein the carrier -ring, indicated at 10', is rolled outwardly'at its lower edgeto define'a channel24 in which is mounted a ripping element '25 like the element 11 of side wall of the can. of the "element 25 is, therefore, brought Figs; 1 and 2. Accordingly, when the device is, inthe manner previously indicated, inserted in a can, as conventionally illustrated at 26, the mouth of the channel faces the The free terminal 27 through said side wall preferably at the upper end of the seam therein and equipped with a keyl 28. This key is substantially identical with the key 20 of Figure 1, but is bowed transversely to seat fiat 'against the side wall of the can. Thus, when the key is V I turned to wind the element 25 thereon, the sidewall of the can will be ripped by said element around the circumference of the can. Otherwise, this modified structure is identi cal with the preferred form of the-invention and further description is' accordingly believed unnecessary. However, it should be stated that'while we have illustrated and de scribed the present invention inconnection with a cylindrical can, 'stilhit is' -reco'gnized that while most of the cans used in canning foodstuffs or the like are of such shape,

cans of other shapes are'employed. Inany such instance, the carrier ring of the ripping unit will be shaped accordingly to fit within. the can in the manner previously indicated aindthe' term carrierring as herein used shall, therefore, be construed"tocomprehend such variations-in shape. 3 V l Having thus described the invention, what weclaim is: i The combination with -a canbody, and-a lid crimped upon. the can body, the lid be ing provided with a sunken portion extending into the can body and including a'jwall at the bottom of said sunken portion, of a carrier ring embracing said sunken portion and initially inserted into'the can body with said sunken portion, the outer margin of said ring being interfo'ldedginsaid crimp for-securing-the ring within thecan body as thelid is secured to said body, the inner margin of saidring being bent to form a channel providing a stop disposed to abut 'ABBoT L: ooMB s. HARRY M. KEYSEB'JK 

